Discover How Thomas the Tank Engine Chugged Out of West Midlands

Many people have grown up reading or watching Thomas the Tank Engine, but not everyone knows that this beloved children’s series actually began in the West Midlands, in a suburb of Birmingham called Kings Norton. The story starts in 1942, when Christopher Awdry, the son of Reverend Wilbert Awdry, was just two years old and became ill with measles. To keep his son entertained during his three weeks in bed, Wilbert began telling him stories about trains and drawing pictures of them. These stories would eventually become the famous Thomas the Tank Engine series.

Christopher Awdry recalls that his father first drew a picture of an engine shed with several locomotives lined up. Christopher was curious and started asking questions about the engines. This inspired Wilbert to create a story about one of the engines, named Edward, who wanted to go out and pull a train but was not allowed to at first. Eventually, Edward got his chance, and the story was a big success with Christopher. There were other engines in the original drawing, including Gordon, a large and proud engine inspired by one of Christopher’s childhood friends, and Henry, an engine who disliked the rain and was based on a real American locomotive that had broken down and was left in a tunnel.

The most famous engine, Thomas, was actually a model train that Christopher received as a Christmas present. He painted it blue and gave it the number one. Christopher doesn’t remember exactly why he chose the name Thomas, but that’s what he called it. Wilbert Awdry’s wife encouraged him to write the stories down after she couldn’t find any suitable children’s books in Birmingham. Wilbert sent his stories to a publisher, who agreed to publish them if he wrote a fourth story with a happy ending for Henry. The first Thomas the Tank Engine books were published in 1945, around the time of VE Day, and they quickly became very popular. The publisher soon asked for more stories, and Wilbert tested them on Christopher before publishing. The stories of Thomas and his friends have since become a huge part of British culture and have even helped the tourism industry, with places like Thomas Land in Staffordshire attracting millions of visitors. Parents and children continue to enjoy the adventures of Thomas, Edward, Gordon, and Henry, making the series a lasting favorite for generations.